N.Y. says it won't overlook Pittsburgh, which is off to its worst start since 1968

Published 8:56 pm, Saturday, October 12, 2013

They're winless through four games and off to their worst start since 1968.

Meanwhile, the New York Jets (3-2), their opponent Sunday, are working on a short week after stunning Atlanta 30-28 on Monday night.

Jets left guard Willie Colon spent seven years with the Steelers, and he knows better than to underestimate a winless Pittsburgh bunch.

"I see a desperate team, and I see a team that, they're kind of like, 'All right, we've laid an egg. Let's start our season again,'" he said. "Knowing how those guys think, they're going to be ready to go."

Rex Ryan has insisted to anyone who'll listen that the Jets won't suffer a letdown, even though they've been one of the NFL's early-season surprises with rookie quarterback Geno Smith leading the way.

"We know what the record is on Pittsburgh," Ryan said. "We're certainly not feeding into it or buying into that by any stretch of the imagination. It's a Mike Tomlin-coached football team, so we know they're going to be prepared. They're going to be hungry coming in here."

Smith was AFC offensive player of the week after throwing for three touchdowns and, most importantly, had no turnovers. Smith leads the league with three go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter, including two that won games as time expired.

"I'm just proud of the way that this team fights," Smith said. "We're never out of it, and we've always got a chance."

A win Sunday would set up a potential first-place showdown in the AFC East with New England next week.

"Oh, we're certainly a work in progress," Ryan said. "We've earned the 3-2 record, but we have to really improve in a lot of areas for us to be the team that we want to be."